We’ve gone through to the next round of the Hungarian Cup after extra time!

On Tuesday evening, in the second round of the Hungarian Cup qualifiers, we hosted the DUE WORM Angels at the Győr University Ice Sports Centre. As in the first round, a single match decided who would progress: at the end of September, we beat BJA U21 4–0 at the Tüskecsarnok in Budapest, whilst the Dunaújváros side progressed after winning away at FTC-Telekom B. In the league, we have won all ten of our head-to-head matches over the past three seasons, but in the cup there are no second chances. Martin Szeles started in goal, whilst 280 spectators cheered us on from the stands.

Before the match began, we observed a minute’s silence in memory of Péter Meronka, whom everyone knew simply as Pepe. The sports journalist, who passed away at the age of 52, chronicled sporting life in Győr for more than three decades, and for many years was also present at ice hockey matches as a presenter, commentator and reporter. Thank you for everything, Pepe!

We dominated the first period with a 15–9 shot count, and in the 10th minute, with both teams at full strength, we took the lead: Bence Makovics scored from a pass by Szabolcs Beck (1–0). Shortly afterwards, following penalties to Csölle and Bogó, we had two power-play opportunities, but the visitors’ goalkeeper, Sági, kept us at bay.

In the second period, the game was almost entirely one-sided: we won the shot count 30–9. In the 30th minute, István Szűcs, as well as Kis and Sági from the visitors, were all given two-minute penalties, so we were once again able to play with a man advantage; then, in the 38th minute, a penalty to Dézsi presented us with another opportunity. However, Sági saved everything, so we went into the second interval with a one-goal lead.

In the 45th minute of the final period, we killed off Botond Fekete’s penalty; ten seconds after the penalty had expired, however, in the 47th minute, with the teams level on numbers, Gebei found the back of our net, assisted by Palla and Barna (1–1). We then had the chance to attack with a man advantage following penalties for Pinczés and Piszmann, but no further goals were scored in normal time. The shot count for the period was 19–10, so the game went into extra time.

In the first minute of extra time, Miklós Wenner was given a two-minute penalty, but we managed to weather that numerical disadvantage as well. Then, 27 seconds after the penalty had expired, in the 63rd minute, the decisive moment arrived: Benedek Madácsi scored past Sági from a pass by István Szűcs, sealing the victory (2–1). We won the shots on goal tally 66–29: Martin Szeles made 28 saves, whilst at the other end Sági parried 64 shots.

Two cup matches, two wins, a goal difference of 6–1: we’ve progressed to the third round of the Hungarian Cup qualifiers, where four Erste Liga teams will also be joining the competition. We’ll provide an update on the fixtures for this round, scheduled for 10 November, at a later date. Thank you to the 280 supporters for their encouragement! Next up is the league: on Monday 26 October at 7.30 pm, we’ll be away to the Lizards at the MET Arena, and on 31 October, the DUE WORM Angels will be visiting us in the league as well.

Hajrá UNI GYŐR ETO!

UNI GYŐR ETO HC vs DUE WORM Angels: 2 – 1 (after extra time) (Hungarian Cup)
Goalscorers: #8 Bence Makovics, #18 Benedek Madácsi (UNI GYŐR ETO), #71 Gebei (DUE WORM Angels)

Photos from the cup match can be found in the gallery; the full album is available at the bottom of the page.